Even though he didn't take my boy Glen Davis or Josh McRoberts who probably had the most upside and could have developed into an above average weakside shot blocker and high-post man, Carl Landry seems to fit.

He was more productive than both Davis or McRoberts offensively at Purdue and played only 30.4 minutes/game and shot 59.7% from the field averaging 18.9 points per game. Because of his height, he wasn't on a lot of teams radar's, but he tested as the 5th best athlete at the combine. While that doesn't mean as much as it would in the NFL, it was surprising because the book on Landry before the draft was that he had basketball skills and athletic shortcomings because of a prior ACL injury and again, the height issue. I would say that Landry doesn't play as athletically as he tests, despite a 36.5" vertical (tied with Cory Brewer) because he gets his shot blocked quite often. He is very crafty, has a nice face the basket game, and works for baskets. He seems to be a stronger, more athletic, and more offensively savvy, Chuck Hayes. He's probably on par with Davis, though I prefer Davis for the strength, passing, rebounding and quick feet, but he still doesn't provide the shot blocking help the Rockets need.

Yao blocks shots, but he is too slow to play help defense. He gets called for a lot of blocks and the Rockets need a power forward to play help-defense and block from the weakside. On the other hand, it seems the Rockets are totally revamping the style of basketball they play. Landry can get out on the break, fill the lane, and finish (check out this youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j68GY-FZWPU ). Brooks is a burner who can create the fastbreak with perimeter defense and Landry is a hustle guy too. It seems Alston may be on the way out as a more slow-footed, half court type, PG (he has tricks for days, but really not a fast break guy due to speed). Landry has a speed advantage over most PFs and should draw a lot of charging calls as well on defense. It will be interesting to see how Yao is integrated into the open offense with his conditioning issues. I know ownership, Morey, and Adelman want to run, but would that play away from the Rockets' strengths down low? Who knows, Landry also does a good job operating in the half-court. In his last three games of the season, he scored 24 against Oden and OSU on 9 of 16 shooting, 21 against Arizona on six of 10 shooting, and 18 against Florida (Horford/Noah) on eight of 14 shooting. Earlier in January and February, he had six of 17 and six of 15 shooting games against OSU, but he really finished strong.

So, I like the Rick Adelman move. He is one of the greatest offensive minds in the NBA currently and really knows how to maximize the talents of big men in his hybrid-Princeton offense. I say hybrid because he employs some Princeton Offense plays, but not exclusively. He did an awesome job using Divac and Webber on the elbow in Sacramento, with other players cutting off them backdoor or taking hand-offs. Yao will really take advantage of those opportunities. With Van Gundy there, it was a predominantly isolation and kick-out for 3 offense. McGrady and Yao should be playing off each other, not on opposite sides of the court. They are most effective playing pick and roll or with Yao in the post and McGrady slashing base-line to break up double teams.

With that said..... Morey is really overdosing on the whole Bobby Jackson thing. When the Rockets got Mike James back, everyone said he would play a Mike James role in the Adelman offense. Now, with Aaron Brooks, they are saying he'll play a Bobby Jackson role. Are we going to use the mid-level exception on Earl Boykins to play the Bobby Jackson role? Better yet, why don't we also trade for Bobby Jackson to play a POWER FORWARD ROLE, cause that's what the Rockets need. We now have FIVE point guards on the roster: Alston, James, Brooks, Spanoulis, and Lucas. Luther Head is way undersized at SG so he may as well be the 6th PG.

Brooks is TJ Ford quick and has a good standing reach for his size (7'10", Conley had 7'10.5"). Combine that with a 39.5" vertical and he should be adequate. Defensively, he is an upgrade, probably even over Mike James who plays good on the ball defense, but, he isn't a pure point guard. We have a ton of combo guards with questionable 3-point range, and Brooks is another. In the future, I think he's going to be a solid starter who improves team speed, but the Rockets have a gaping hole at PF. With Glen Davis, Josh McRoberts, and Nick Fazekis on the board, this was a bad pick.

My personal favorite is Glen Davis, who is reminiscent of Anthony Mason with the size, rebounding, nifty feet, and above average mid-range game (Jay Bilas said he has no shot, but look at his percentages and game film, which shows good shooting ability for a PF). The Rockets don't just need a glass eater at PF, but they need an attitude change. They need someone who says things like, "We still hungry. We got tapeworms in our bellies." Davis said this before the final four in 2006. Davis measures 6'9" without shoes and 6'10" in shoes. He has 11% body fat and will be a force in the NBA as a third scorer, rebounder, and energy guy. He has leadership skills and teammates love him. He's what the Rockets needed. He has passing ability in the high post to feed Yao, he goes strong to the basket with a good face the basket game, and he can hit the 15-footer. He probably wouldn't block more than 50-60 shots a year, but he gets steals. 10 years ago, Barkley, Malone, Larry Johnson, and Mason all succeeded at below average height because they had the same skills Davis does. Barkley was more athletic and had much higher basketball IQ, Malone was sturdier/stronger, and Larry Johnson more explosive, but Davis has a combination of skills that will help him stick. I really don't understand why he dropped so far and he will prove people wrong.

My first reaction to the Ray Allen trade was negative. He's the best pure shooter in the NBA, a class act and a borderline Hall-of-Famer. Upon further reflection, which took about, oh, 45 seconds, this is a very good trade for the Sonics. Allen was never going to win a title, or even make the playoffs again, with the Sonics. His value can only go downhill with age and injuries creeping in. They got a great shooter back and a point guard, which was a need.

The part I don't get is Jeff Green. Durant is a small forward. Green is a small foward. Wally will be the shooter. Where does Green play? Why not get a big man with the fifth pick?

New owner Clay Bennett is a disingenuous carpetbagger, but give the guy credit for rolling the dice on a 30-year-old GM. Sam Presti was faced with either adding parts or blowing the team up. He went with the latter, and the Sonics might actually have a chance in a few years. Next up is a sign-and-trade with Rashard Lewis and unloading Luke Ridnour.

Too bad when the team actually gets competitive it will be in Oklahoma City.

The guys on ESPN (read: Stephen Jackson) are going nuts right now cause to them, you don't trade big for small. This was the same cry we heard last year when Villanueva was traded for T.J. Ford and due to injuries, Ford ended up having the better year despite his own injuries. I dont think hard and fast rules like dont trade big for small always hold up.

Like the Celtics, the Bobcats are looking for a sparkplug veteran who can come in and energize the franchise for a few years. Yes, Brandan Wright is a great talent, but he has question marks. I think he's going to have a few all-star years, but Sean May (barring injury) is ready to play and produce now. When he has been on the floor, he's been very tough to defend because he can pass, shoot, and power. Wright is at least a year or two away and he needs to put on at least 20 pounds. We also didn't see his range tested much his freshman year so who knows how far he can extend. I still think he was great value, but the Bobcats did have a logjam at PF and a HUGE void at SG. Richardson can step right in and be the #1 guy on offense. He isn't a true #1 scorer, but with Felton, May, and Okafor as a 3rd scorer, there's enough offense there now. With Okafor and Felton's defense, they can compete for the 8th spot in the East. The Bobcats need to get fans excited and this should do it. Richardson is a high flyer who excels in the open floor and slashing to the basket. If the Bobcats retain Gerald Wallace, they have a very formidable starting five with Felton, Richardson, Wallace, May, and Okafor with Brezec off the bench. Without this trade, they're looking at the lottery again next year and they are still searching for a SG.

Yes, bigs are harder to find, but its not like they're trading Kobe for Divac. Richardson is a border line all star in his prime despite last year's knee problem; he seems to have fully recovered. If Richardson stops chucking from 3, this is a good move for both teams. For Golden State, its a great deal. They get a long, athletic, 4, who can run the floor in their style of offense, finish, and can improve defensively. Ike Diogu was a throw-in to Indiana, but he was an important piece down the road as the PF of the future. Now, they get Brandan Wright, cap room to re-sign Pietrus or Matt Barnes, and they pick up where they left off last year with more power up front. This also frees up time for Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson who do similar things that Richardson does. More importantly, it allows Harrington to slide back into the small forward position where he has a size advantage and can hang defensively. I figure Ellis and Davis share PG duties, Jackson takes over at SG, Harrington at SF with Barnes/Pietrus filling in where necessary (if they're resigned) and Brandan Wright teams with Biedrins up front. This really solves a lot of rebounding problems, and they don't give up much offense. If anything, they finally have a big man to finish in the secondary break.

1) Celtics - The complaints with Danny Ainge the last few years have centered on a lack of veterans and duplicative talent. He stockpiled a lot of young players, that as individuals were good picks, but they didn't fit with the other pieces on the team.

For instance, Delonte West and Tony Allen were duplicative. They both play good defense, do the little things, can slash/score, and were more combo guards than good point guards. Neither solved the point guard problem, so they brought in Telfair and then Rondo. Again, both had flaws: Telfair was quick enough to play point, but was an awful decision maker who enjoyed shooting rappers after dinner. Rondo is a great decision maker and plays D, but can't hit the side of a barn. In essence, they spent FOUR draft picks on players who would be great if they could summon Captain Planet to play the point. With all those combo guards, it would make sense to play one at the point if they had a small forward or shooting guard to share facilitating responsibilities, but they never got that guy. Ironically, when in position to finally get a guy capable of working the elbows and playing some point forward, they trade the pick for a 31 year old who is coming off bone spur surgery in his ankle.

If Allen recovers fully, this isn't the worst move. People in Boston are dying for a winner and the Celtics have a surplus of young players. As we've seen with the LA Clippers (Cassell two years ago), Golden State Warriors (Baron Davis, not as old, but serious health issues), or to take it back further, Sacramento (Vlade Divac, yes, still the worst trade in NBA history, but he was the 3rd wheel in turning around that franchise), having an all-star on the decline come in for one season can turn the franchise around and reinvigorate the entire city. If Ainge and the Celtics really believe in Gerald Green, the trade makes SOME sense because drafting Jeff Green would have stunted his progress.

With that being said... Jeff Green is a MUCH better fit than Gerald Green for the Celtics. Paul Pierce is your scorer. Al Jefferson needs the ball. Gerald Green, from what we've seen, has a decent 3-pt stroke for his age, and has unlimited athletic ability, but YOU NEED A DISTRIBUTOR. Gerald Green averages more turnovers than assists! Now, with Ray Allen in town, the problem still remains, who the hell is distributing the ball? Rondo can do it, but until he improves his shot, teams can lay off and dare him to shoot, which really hinders his ability to get to the hoop. I think if Ray Allen recovers, the Celtics could challenge for the 3rd seed in the East. Best case scenario, if Billups bolts, Shaq stays fat, Chicago doesn't get a low post scorer, and Cleveland loses Varejao or Hughes continues to regress, the Celtics could be the 1 or 2 seed. Realistically, You can't bank on Rondo to play 40 minutes a game, Ray Allen is an unknown, and Kendrick Perkins is an average starting center. When healthy, Ray Allen is still a dominant player, but only for another 2 or 3 years. You gave up one of the safest bets in the draft, Jeff Green, who is a glue guy reminiscent of Josh Howard with more of an inside game and handle. Jeff Green is the rare small forward who teams want to operate on the elbows and run the baseline to open up the paint or hit corner jumpers. Who knows, I dont think its as bad as the experts make the trade out to be, but I would have taken Jeff Green. That being said, the Celtics should look very good coming out of this trade the next two years.

As for Seattle, this is a great deal. You totally rebuild and pair Durant with a team player at the other forward position who will get dirty, share the ball, and facilitate the offense. Green is an everything guy and will be very tough to guard 18 and in as Hubie Brown likes to say. If Durant is an offensive "savant" like Jordan, then Green is a poor man's Pippen. Not as athletic, but high basketball IQ and a willingness to play sidekick.

2) Knicks - I will first admit and fully discredit myself to readers by saying, I LOVE ZEKE. Shoot me, laugh at me, whatever, I think he was exactly what the Knicks needed and if you ask the other writers here, I've been saying it for 3 years.

Now, onto basketball. I'm not in love with this trade for the Knicks... Here's why. What are Eddy Curry's weaknesses? Offensive fouls, rebounding on both ends, shot blocking, turnovers, and defense generally. That being said, it probably would have been easier to just list his strengths: FG% and scoring. He is the 3rd best offensive center in the league behind Yao and Shaq, but that's it. He's a one-trick hippo. Zach Randolph is very similar. He can score any given night, but averages more turnovers than assists, and puts his head down as soon as he catches the ball. They are both black holes. What the Knicks needed is actually someone like Andrei Kirilenko. Someone who can play defense, block shots from the weakside, and scores off the ball. Yes, he has been awful the last two years, but he would have been a better fit. But, Randolph has passing ability, does clean the glass, and has a 15 foot jumper. If he is willing to play more high post, spot up, slash, and share the ball, he fits, but he's never been that type of guy. He has the ability, but that's not his style.

The bottom line though, it doesn't matter who Isiah got. This is a victory for the Knicks because Steve "I think I'm a Globetrotter" Francis is gone. Like Antoine Walker, Francis' greatest talents are dribbling the ball off his foot and spinning himself out of bounds. He looks cool doing it, but you really don't want him wearing your uniform. If Isiah can keep Randolph from becoming a cancer, chalk this up as a win.

3) Steal of the Draft so far? Nick Young and Brandan Wright. To me, Brandan Wright looks like a young Rasheed Wallace. He has a swagger, very long, dominant athletically, knows how to use his hips to drop step, and keeps the ball high when he catches all the way to the finish. A lot of ability, but mental aspects are the question. There's a huge log-jam now in Charlotte with May, Okafor, Brezec, and Wright, but Okafor is always an injury risk, as is May. It isn't a bad fit though because he will have time to develop.

But Nick Young is an absolute steal. Deshawn Stevenson is a nice perimeter defender, but come on, the Wiz SCORE. Young is a high flying running mate for Arenas and will fill the lane on the break or on back door cuts. He finishes, he can break down defenders, and he can shoot the 3. While they need a big man, he's a great fit on that team. He needs to use his athleticism to play D, but he is capable. Its a matter of whether he wants to. Along with Agent Zero, they may have the most ADD backcourt in the NBA with all the energy they bring. Caron Butler did a great job last year running the break also, but he's not a great 3-pt shooter. He is more of a glue guy who passes well, draws a lot of contact, plays D, and posts up smaller players or operates on the wing in the triple-threat position. With Young to spread the court, this allows Butler to go back to that role.

4) Lastly........ Congrats to the brotha from the mothaland, Yi Jian Lian. I hope you like General Tsao's Deer and Red Cooked Moose. I know I don't.

The recent trade rumors involving Amare Stoudemire got me thinking about why in the world the Suns would want to trade their franchise center for Kevin Garnett. Stoudemire is coming off a season where he averaged 20.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game and was the only Sun to play in all 82 games despite undergoing microfracture knee surgery the year before. He and Nash seem to work well together on the pick and roll and his defensive weaknesses can be addressed and worked on as he is only 24 years old. I can't see how a 31-year old Kevin Garnett is a better fit. It's not like KG is a lock down defender (Tim Duncan averaged 20 points against Minnesota this year) and will he be able to run the way the Suns want to run with all that mileage on his legs? There must be a chemistry issue between Amare and the rest of team or the Suns must think his surgically repaired knee won't hold up. I can't think of any other reason why they would want to trade him - especially since the Suns hold the rights to Atlanta's #1 pick in 2008. Trading Amare will only bolster the Hawks and lower the value of the pick.

When I heard about a possible Minnesota/Boston trade involving KG and Al Jefferson last week, I began to think about who is the better "long-term" answer for either organization. Basically, if you had to start a franchise right now with a 31-year old KG or a 22-year old Al Jefferson, who would you choose?? I argued with a friend of mine for almost an hour last night on this subject. I say Al Jefferson based on his breakout post All-Star break performance last year, his already polished offensive game and his tremendous upside on the offensive and defensive end. I know he's just done it for 4-months and KG has done it for 9-10 years, but Jefferson showed that he is a formidable inside presence (averaged 19.8 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks after the all-star break despite facing constant double teams with Pierce injured). To compare, KG averaged 22.4 points, 13.3 boards and 1.5 blocks after the all-star break. Great numbers, but KG is an old 31-year old with a lot of mileage, having only missed 15 games in the last 8 years. He has missed 12 of those 15 games in the past two years which could point to him starting to break down a bit.
I'm not arguing that KG isn't great, in fact he's a couple rounds ahead of Jefferson on my fantasy board because of his consistency and the assists he gives you (career 4.5 apg)from the power forward position. But if I had to start a franchise right now, and had to choose between KG and Al Jefferson, I would take Big Al.